Howard Hughes' Duesenberg at El Mirage, 1947 (not what you think)

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Converted to a glider tow and support vehicle at the El Mirage Soaring School. Yes, the El Mirage that was the mecca for early lakes racers, and still hosts speed events. Disregard what I said about Edwards AFB earlier. I was wrong.

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The Spruce Goose flew on its own, was never towed. Also it was a float plane so any tow would have to have been from a boat.

It only flew once, and was pulled in and out of the water by something, as it was built in a hangar on dry land. In the past few years, it was moved to its current location from Long Beach, and that was a tow as well, in some places during the trip.

But you would be correct in that it was never towed to launch, as gliders (sailplanes) are.

It was also technically a flying-boat, not a floatplane. Hughes hated the nickname Spruce Goose, by the way. It is the H4 Hercules, and is built mostly of birch.

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Yes, and it's heartening to think enough people thought enough of aviation history to cough up enough money to save it, move it, and build a hangar big enough for it. That's a full-size DC-3 parked under its wing in the background.

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Well I'm not next to the Spruce Goose, but I can see El Mirage from my kitchen window. Been there a Zillion times. Dry lakes racing with SCTA, dirt bikes, offroad buggies and even land yachts. Until the Bureau of Land Management put a fence around the 19,000 acres and started charging $20 admission, my buddies and I used to ride our dirt bikes and buggies to there across the desert from our homes. Now we go around the outside of the BLM fence.

Gliders are launched south of my home next to the San Gabriel Mountains from the Crystalaire Glider Port. They are more safely towed aloft by small planes. Rides are available for a fee (last I heard it was $60).

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Edwards is north of my home and El Mirage is east. Muroc IS named after the Corum Brothers of Rosamund of about 100 years ago. The Air Force changed the name of the dry lake from Muroc to Rogers after a pilot who crashed there (IIRC). Edwards was a test pilot who crashed a Northrop Flying Wing bomber prototype in the late 40s.

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I was out in the Portland, Oregon area a while back on a business trip. I managed to find a little free time towards the end of the day, so I decided to head to the Evergreen museum to see the Spruce Goose.

I got there about 4PM, and the museum was scheduled to close at 5PM, so my goal was to head straight to the Goose display and spend all of my limited time there.

I was looking around for the big plane amongst a bunch of really awesome vintage aircraft, but didn't immediately see it. I suddenly realized that I was standing under one of its massive wings....

The picture that Jeff posted really gives a good perspective of the plane's size - it's Indescribable.

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It is unbelievable to believe it before you see it, it is hughes. There is even a blackbird under its wings. I'm just lucky that my friend took me to Evergreen and I will never forget it. It is just mindboggling.